With flying colours
by Lady Monochromic
Summary: Road racing clashes too much with Arakita's academic career and it's making his course supervisor worried. Thanks to her, Arakita has been enlisted in the Peer Tutoring Scheme, just as well he does not have to drop out of the Cycling Team. All Arakita can hope is that his tutor is good or at least decent…
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Oh my god, finally I finished chapter one... Word of warning is that I'm not sure how frequent I'll be posting chapters. It will be a finished piece though since I have the structure sorted - and I hate unfinished things. I just needed to get this posted otherwise I would never get round to doing anything and would have procrastinated.

* * *

 **Chapter. 01**

Arakita's mouth had never run so many curses than he had sprinting up the stairs of the engineering department. If leaping the stairs two (almost three) at a time to the third floor was not a task in itself, then it was only thanks to the burning training the captain had forced upon the 'newbies' of Yonan's cycling club. The lactic acid burned in his joints, lengthening the time he had been without rest.

After passing through the doors by the staff room, and slowing his pace to even his breathing, Arakita arrived at his supervisor's office. Short breaths heaved his shoulders forward to focus on his shoes rather than the door. Allowing himself another five deep breaths, Arakita half-knocked half-slid his hand on the door; double checking the plaque read _Dr S. Saito_ was not a concern for the student who had been called to the office more than the scheduled slots Yonan recommended. In fact, his last visit had been when his eyes were too heavy to keep open for a safe amount of time. However, being asked by his supervisor was too much of a chore, especially in comparison to being called to the staff room in Hakone, university lecturers had the absence of prejudice towards first years that Arakita could not be labelled a delinquent.

Despite Arakita's lethargic knocking, his request to enter the office was still offered an invitation; Arakita opened the door to the office. Inside his supervisor, Professor Saito, was sat behind her desk with a small smile to greet him, "Good afternoon, Arakita. Please take a seat." Her pale hands offering the seat in front of her. Despite the hellish training he had masochistically suffered, the thought of being seated in the office did not fit well; it only implied a lengthy conversation. Curling his upper lip into a silent snarl, Arakita slumped in the chair once his rear touched the leather, keeping his curved posture intact.

Once seated and the polite inquiries of Arakita's welfare and curt replies from the undergraduate were passed, Professor Saito begun the topic of their appointment, "Arakita, do you understand why you have received this one-to-one session?"

Arakita rolled his eyes; the same question was always asked each time he entered the clean office. "It's because I failed the stupid essays." Arakita said, staring at the rushed essays laid on the desk.

"I'm sure you have read the feedback and know that these are not fails," Professor Saito thumbed one of the sheets. "However, the marks you received are of a concern when you are a scholarship student."

"Yeah, I know. I'll just redo them, then." Arakita shrugged. It would be a chore, for certain, but his eagerness to dive head first into the cycling club was too great to let his grades slip. That mind-set was not unshared by the rest of the cycling club, where marks and attendance in academics still had to be kept to ensure participation in tournaments and races.

"They were only formative essays so we don't require you to redo those." Professor Saito said. "You will, however, sit an additional exam in five weeks. To ensure that you do well, the course deputy and I am suggesting that you should be placed on the P.T. Scheme."

 _P.T. Scheme?_ The acronym sounded fairly familiar or at least familiar in the sense Arakita may have read something in an information booklet, but that had been at the beginning of the course. Then again, had he really read anything thoroughly bar his room itinerary and the Cycling club's signup sheet?

Before Arakita could feign knowledge on the subject, Professor Saito spoke, "The PTS is the Peer Tutoring Scheme…" When Arakita averted his eyes, Professor Saito sighed. "It was in your handbook… Anyway, the scheme is not for failing students. It's for those who we think are underperforming–" Arakita bit the inside of his cheek at the contradiction. "We assign you to one of your peers studying the same modules or a second year who has already been through the modules. Plus, I think a more relaxed environment would be suited for you, Arakita."

More than anything the scheme sounded potentially taxing. Arakita talked to roughly five people on his course, but of those five Kinjou was the only one who did not seem totally clueless twenty-four seven and whom he actually cared talking to. There were others on the course, whose eyes lit with awe along with a smug smirk of knowledge every time a new equation was introduced. No doubt they too could be classed as his peers. The premise of meeting up with an egoist like those made his lips curl. "How many times do I have to do this thing, then?"

"You'll meet an hour for each module you have–"

"Four!" Arakita groaned; those four hours could be spent cycling, where he would be far more progressive.

"We've already assigned you someone and we have been scheduling your timetables. That is if you decide to run with the P.T. Scheme. Hold on, I have the email…" Professor Saito shifted, facing her computer and clicked the mouse a few times. "Ah, yes, it's three times a week so you would have a two hour session on Tuesdays."

Arakita ground his teeth together at the length of time the scheme was eating into the already limited time he had. "What time? I have training on Tuesdays"

Professor Saito lifted her head as if remembering additional information. "Arakita, your academic studies should take priority over any other clubs. I'm suggesting you cut down–"

"What!" Arakita swung his legs giving the momentum to sit back up on the chair. "I can't just cut down on cycling! Captain said that we have a tournament coming up and there's no way I am missing that."

"Arakita." Professor Saito's lips straightened to a line. "This is a serious matter. University is not the same as high school. Whilst I'm not imposing the scheme as mandatory, I would highly recommend you supplement your club activities to suit your academic career. If you do say there is a tournament then wouldn't that be a reason to motivate you to study."

Cutting down valuable training time would be absurd, especially so close to the first annual tournament (more importantly it would be _his_ first tournament as part of Yonan) even if the training made him collapse from exhaustion. It would have been tempting to click his teeth whilst barking complaints if Professor Saito had not rooted his authority in the glare he sent Arakita.

"Fine." Arakita clipped his words, omitting the small degree to which he was agreeing on. Ridding himself of training would never be an option Arakita could choose, not after the years in Hakone surrounded by the not-so-sickly warm teammates that were still riding (as was their main topic in their group conversations).

"Arakita, I'm your supervisor not the bad guy." Professor Saito sighed. "If you do not pass the pass the exams at an acceptable grade, we will have to consider retaking the year. By 'we', I include myself, your peer tutor and the course leader."

"Yeah yeah, I get it. I'll do the stupid scheme." Arakita grumbled, looking at the carpet away from stupid essays he regretted rushing. "Now can I go?"

Professor Saito waited for Arakita to look up but when it was clear Arakita found the carpet more interesting, she gave up. "If you don't have any questions, I guess so."

Arakita stood up with a quick thanks to his supervisor, eager to head back to the club room.

Before he had time to move from the chair Professor Saito spoke once more. "You'll start on Tuesday so you'll have the weekend and the Monday to sort anything out. And please check your timetable." The latter part was said in a rush by the lack of eye contact from her student. Arakita gave a short bow and nodded to his supervisor before he left the room, leaving the door slightly ajar, enough for it to slowly swing open itself and have the occupant shut the door herself.

Arakita headed for the club room in the same manner he had ran to the office: profanity under his breath.

* * *

Returning to the university's sports centre, hands in the back pockets of his cycling jersey unable to dig them into any pockets on his thighs, Arakita made his way through the facilities to the cycling club facilities. The cycling team had a separate building storing spare bikes and repair equipment. Outside, Arakita spotted Kinjou sat crossed leg working on an upturned bicycle, no longer dressed in his cycling gear.

"Kinjou." Arakita spoke, creating a presence his friend could acknowledge without shifting focus from the oil chain.

He received a general nod and greeting before he was asked, "How was the meeting?"

"A pain," Arakita clicked his teeth and sunk into a crouch in front of Kinjou and his bike. "I've been forced to take part in the fucking P.T. Scheme and then there's crap about not being able to train so much even when the tournament is so close!"

Kinjou flicked his eyes to glance at his friend, through the frame, watching him sigh and curl his lip. Kinjou spoke up at the ugly face Arakita pulled, "The P.T. Scheme would motivate you. I'm part of the scheme too."

"Eh! Wait, is that how you're getting such higher marks than me?" Arakita asked, rocking slightly on his heels. If it was enhancing Kinjou's marks then maybe it would be beneficial to say the least.

Kinjou chuckled, "Partly. But no, I'm a tutor."

"Well, you better not be my tutor. If you're teaching is anything like your riding I don't want to be surrounded by your constant presence."

Kinjou suppressed the smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Please do tell me what your tutor is like then."

"Yeah, yeah." Arakita waved his friend off. He dropped his head, exasperated from the past half hour of being able to rest. He still wore the jersey thanks to his rush to meet his supervisor except it no longer stuck to his skin from sweat. "I'm off to shower."

"Wait." Kinjou stopped Arakita in a half crouch wiping his hands on a rag before pulling a key from his trouser pocket for Arakita. "I put your stuff in my locker."

Arakita snatched the keys giving a nod of his thanks and apologised for dashing off after training. Kinjou shrugged in response focusing on his bike whilst Arakita headed into the locker room to _finally_ change. The warm water would let time still before he would have to worry over underperforming and the possibility of missing races.

No, such things could not happen.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Sorry, for being two weeks. Who writes chapter 3 before chapter 2 anyway? Me apparently. Anyway, have two chapters.

* * *

 **Chapter. 02**

Walking back to their accommodation, Arakita half-listened as Kinjou explained the scheme he had been trapped into: Kinjou had corrected him when Arakita had said it was forced and not that it was an optional scheme (not that the fact changed anything). According to Kinjou the tutor had just enough work in aiding their peer as Arakita would in preparing for the exams. Somehow the scheme sounded less chore-like and more bearable. Kinjou had a way with words or Arakita had been too pissed at his supervisor to consider the benefits in detail.

"Anyway, I think you should tell the captain before practice tomorrow." Kinjou suggested.

"That's gonna' be great before practice." Arakita groaned gripping the handlebars of his bike as he walked. The thought of discussing his underperformance in academia to the captain could not play well. Not only were the rules of the club strict no matter the seniority or talent of the individual, but voicing his downfalls to the captain would put him under the wrong attention. Attention all members were receiving, including himself and the teammate walking beside him.

Two weeks ago when the captain had announced the official dates of the All-rounder Autumn Tournament: the reason for the increased intensity of training. Both captains from the men's and women's teams had rounded up the freshmen at the end of the men's training and the start of the women's.

* * *

" _Alright, listen up!" Kouichi, the men's team captain, clapped his hands, standing before his cycling club with everyone caught to attention. "As you know the first tournament is coming up and we need to reclaim our winning position from last year. I've been extremely pleased with the freshmen that have stuck with us and have_ not _dropped out. Acknowledging your hard work, Lee and I have set a mock course of our own in two months' time."_

" _I'm sure Kouichi will do the same," Lee spoke up, her voice holding the first years but her focus prioritised her team. "But I shall be scrutinising your progress and motivation for the tournament. Don't think you can rely on talent solely on our mock course. Not only will you be picked for the tournament but you all will be scrapped of the title of first years. Instead, you'll be assigned to strings."_

 _Beside her, Kouichi nodded. His focus seemed to set on each of them individually, with a stare that had Arakita straightening himself before he had noticed._

 _As Lee spoke more of the tournament they had experienced, the twitch of Arakita's legs from training felt too light. Though they shook he needed that shake that was akin to those in the first few days he had with_ Fuku-chan _._

* * *

The memory of Hakone training days was strong but there was a tint to it that felt too long ago to recall firm words. Even the first day of Yonan's training felt the same in that the summer vacation had been left forgotten in the relentless training and working on essays (which were now Arakita's main problem).

Kinjou spoke up, "You didn't fail those essays. At least it sounds like you just need to concentrate a bit more." Kinjou's lip turned upwards recalling on a lecture a few weeks prior and patted Arakita's bony shoulder in mock sympathy. "Maybe, you'll have learned not to doze off in lectures."

Arakita clicked his tongue, "It was one time." The one time the freshman had fallen asleep during a lecture, he _had_ to be woken by Kinjou stretching his arms to not so subtly knock his arm from under his chin. Then again, wishing he was cycling instead of listening to another theory was in itself the same as dozing off.

"Well, most of the time my sessions don't last the full hour anyway so you won't have time to nod off." Kinjou explained, stating it especially the case if the topics were easy to deal with.

A relief that would always be shared when it came to forced learning. Wanting and waiting for the relief to relax strained shoulders, Kinjou widened his eyes slightly and noted the half-smile half-frown stuck on his friend's face.

Unfortunately, the frown took over. "Wait, you already have someone to tutor?"

"Yeah, how did you think I know the scheme that well?"

Arakita stared at his friend as if he realised Kinjou lived a life besides cycling and lectures. "I just thought it was explained as a training thing." Arakita frowned. First term had already passed with the two of them slowly finding that they automatically come together in their riding, and walking around the campus. Just as they did now, both Kinjou and Arakita walking on either side of Arakita's bike. "When do you have the time? We only just finished those essays in the Summer. They wouldn't let first years be tutors from the beginning."

"Ah, no, I started at the beginning of _this_ term. I'm helping with an introductory first year." Kinjou corrected, the raised thin eyebrows urged him to continue. "It's the basics from high school with the lectures we're doing this term."

Arakita nodded. The image of Kinjou sending an application to be a mentor and tutor over the summer fit the way held himself; it sent a short laugh in his throat, recalling back to the inter-high sometimes first impressions could be right.

As their conversation took the seconds turning into a decline towards silence, Arakita had slowed and dragged his bike to a stop. He had stopped in front of Kinjou by the road at the edge of campus. The sign by the bushes distinguished the different blocks of campus accommodation, sections off from the rental accommodation off-campus.

"Guess I'll just have to tell Captain tomorrow then." Arakita stared at his bike. The frame gave him a glimpse of the reprimand he would earn from the strict captain.

"Don't worry so much about the scheme. The exam isn't on the same day as the trials." Kinjou offered a slight tug of a smile though it was unseen.

"I'll see you at training, Arakita." Kinjou nodded his goodbye which was thankfully returned. They departed quietly with Kinjou first politely walking away to one of the blocks in the maze of identical buildings, leaving Arakita to take the usual route towards the cheap flat away. The suburbs were a great escape from the university plus he could not see why Kinjou would not want to have an extra ten minute ride to lectures and back.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter. 03**

Fortunately, and only with the slightest of fortunes, Arakita had managed to earn only a sigh from Kouichi, dismissing him with a reminder that there would be no allowances made for him since academics were just as important.

After swinging his leg over his Bianchi, the rest of the weekend seem to pass in a blur almost as fast as his cycling, and the first year found himself grumbling as he walked to one of the study rooms in the library. He had received an email from Professor Saito telling him where his tutoring session was held. She had been brief but wished him well finishing off that queries should be directed back to her (accompanied by an informal emoticon).

Arakita knocked once before swinging the door open huffing his energy at the whole scheme and course he has been enrolled in. The study room's built-in desk was covered in notebooks and laid open on page 459 was the familiar crisp textbook he often borrowed for his studies. The room was clearly occupied but his tutor was nowhere in sight in the small room.

Dumping his bag and pulling the scrawled notes out, Arakita reserved his seat making himself as comfortable as he could on the library seat and peaked at the notes already scattered on the desk.

Behind him the door clicked open pricking Arakita's ears for him to turn round to face his tutor. Stood, blocking the view of the bookcases behind, Arakita was faced with man he would have to spend four hours of his damn week with. "What the fuck!" Arakita blurted not paying any particular mind. The man before him could not have been further from his thoughts of who his tutor would be. The smell of coffee entered the room wafting past proclaiming he was far more mature than the bright stickers on his laptop.

"Now you're a charm." The boy sighed and set his cup of coffee onto the worktop.

"Oi, who are you? I thought this was a _peer_ scheme." Arakita questioned the tall boy. "I don't recognise ya' from any of the lectures."

"Watabe Satoru," He offered a limp hand. When Arakita only spared a millisecond glance at the offered _right_ hand choosing to scrutinise his dark face, Watabe picked his cup up and seated himself. "I'm a second year. I've already done the lectures and shit so if anything I'm better than whoever you were expecting, _Arakita_ Yasutomo."

Arakita grumbled that he hadn't expected anyone in particular – rejecting the image of Kinjou stating he was involved in the scheme. For a brief moment the thought of Kinjou as his tutor was bad luck but the second year he knew nothing of had come from the depths of bad luck. Four hours, a week, for five weeks, time would be far too long. Arakita could only hope Kinjou had been right when sessions sometimes did not last the full hour.

For a moment, Kinjou's assurance had seemed to ring true.

Watabe initiated the session by marking out which modules he had assigned to each allotted hour. Soon they focused on the open pages of the applied mathematics book. The lectures that week had been fairly easy to grasp and conferring (albeit reluctantly) with Watabe had soothed some ease of mind. Applied mathematics had finished his first hour in forty minutes. If the pace kept going when they moved to the physics lecture, Arakita would have enough time to grab extra time for training.

The pace, however, slowed almost to a standstill when Arakita asked questions. But just one made him regret the lackadaisical effort he had placed into those god awful _shit_ essays…

Initially Arakita took Watabe's eagerness to answer as a feel of altruism towards his confusion on the circuits introduced in the lecture, but the thought lied. Maybe it had been from the smirk distorting Watabe's expression that twisted his tutor's speech into a deeper complexity. The smirk stuck and it could only be changed as it widened when Arakita begrudgingly voiced his confusion once more. Along with the smirk came the horrid explanation, a reciting of the lines from the book Arakita had just complained that the vocabulary helped none. It was not due to a lack of intelligence from the first year but a befuddlement agitated into a disarray with thanks to his tutor.

Visual help had to be asked for and Watabe attempted to explain again refusing to change his explanation relaying the exact same scribbles and darkness over the subject. Any grasp Arakita initially had had was lost.

 _Oh my god!_ Arakita mentally screamed at the scoff his tutor had the audacity to produce – would have screamed at him if the room wasn't so small and placed in the library's studious zones. Arakita clenched his fists in his hair suppressing the need to whack his head on the desk. "I haven't seen this before. What is this?" Arakita jabbed Watabe's notes.

"Ugh, I've told you." Watabe sighed the smirk dropping in weariness. "It's the basic principles of conductors but with the principles you learned in the first weeks. Look, I've explained it _four_ times already and we're running out of time. I suggest you look at this again. Leave it for a bit then come back to it since you look like you're stressing."

"No thanks to you." Arakita grumbled.

"Stop grouching." Watabe snapped. "Anyway, I think we were rather productive except for that question."

 _If it didn't take forty minutes to explain and getting nowhere._ Arakita glared at the scrap paper offered for him to take. The scrawls meant nothing and the diagram of the circuits he had seen in the lectures had been burned onto the back of his eyelids. Gladly he snatched the paper to vent some annoyance to Watabe's tutoring skills.

"Here," Watabe pulled out his phone. "We should exchange emails and then you can message me if anything."

Arakita stared at the flip phone ready on the contacts screen not thinking it would be of use. Acquiescingly, Arakita exchanged emails, shoving the papers filled with both his and Watabe's notes into his bag. His side of the desk emptied whilst Watabe struggled to dump the heavy book they had used. Arakita left the room, with a wave of his hand and his bag slung over his shoulder. He stormed to the exit, not apologising to the staff member that glared at him as he slammed the door.

Quickening his pace, Arakita made his way to the sports centre. Mentally timing himself on how fast he could change into his cycling gear and be able to warm up with the rest of the club without pulling a stitch.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Sorry this chapter took forever but honestly I cannot say when I will be uploading despite the plan being finished. Writer's block and guilt of not writing prevented me on this chapter but these upcoming months it will probably be university's fault for stopping me.  
Also I have realised I'm writing this fic with the hopes I can bypass them actually speaking about physics/maths because my knowledge is not undergraduate level...

Anyway I hope you like :)

* * *

 **Chapter. 04**

"What's up with Arakita?"

"He probably pulled a stitch again from trying to warm up too quickly."

The two first year cyclists laughed passing Arakita who had gritted his teeth shut. Initially they were to pass their peer with ease but at the sounds of clicking gears and barks behind them their legs paused, half-fearing the curses showering them. Instantly they responded their defence that they were simply speaking in jest, evident in their smiles holding sincerity rather than cruelty.

If not for a sharp _tick_ flicking his right temple, Arakita would have conceded to their tries of assurance. Yet, the thoughts irritating his eyes to a constant scowl had paid no mind to their jovial teasing, overtaking thoughts of interaction to avoidance. Leaving them behind Arakita kicked the pedals of his Bianchi flying past his fellow teammates – thankful that today's training were centred on individual times rather than teamwork.

Leaving the peers who had falsely accused Arakita of underperforming from an aching stitch (a valid accusation if Arakita's body did not always ache), he could not deny his legs were heavier on the pedals. His legs still buzzed from restraining himself to _not_ walk out of the room he had been trapped in with a smirking tutor. That restraint coming as regret from the first image Arakita had of the tall boy. Cycling round the bend, paying no mind to the cyclist he passed, Arakita wished he had refused to have a tutor in their second year but that thought was illogical without hindsight. Generally, Arakita gave someone time for their character to appeal to him but reflecting on Watabe's stubborn explanations were deepening the scowl he pedalled with.

The incline he hadn't realised he had been cycling on burdened his legs further in the last stretch of the course. His legs remembered the first day of training at Yonan had been on the course with the horrendous climb towards the finishing line. If the first bends on the flats hadn't weed out those the less enthused then the climb sure brought out the determination. Just as Arakita had forced himself up the heavy incline, he shifted his weight to pull as much relief from his legs towards the finishing line, ready for the call of his time.

An unhappy call.

"Hoo boy, Arakita," The manager clicking a very notable stopwatch inhaled. "It took you ten minutes! Are you alright? I mean, I thought you'd be right behind Kinjou but then Ryu–"

Rather than answer or listen to the times standing to be a significant hindrance in his evaluation for the All-rounder Tournament, Arakita asked for another lap instead of heading to the strollers. This time he would focus on his cycling: his cadences had lacked in frequency and power along with the fumbling of his gears.

 _Ten minutes my ass._

* * *

Unlike how Arakita had rushed into the locker room before practice, the room was almost full with the cycling team. A locker room filled with the others of the team tinged a better comfort than the rushing an empty locker room gave.

Tired from the laps on the short but intense course and the sessions on the rollers, Arakita headed to his locker avoiding the half-naked men, some were wet from the showers and others were sticky from sweat. Arakita's locker was in the middle section round the corner of the showers, thankfully hidden from the entranceway of the changing rooms.

Pulling his jersey off he grabbed a dry towel and wiped the sweat clung to the back of his neck. Rubbing and rolling his neck loosened Arakita from the stretches he had finished training with. It relaxed him slightly from the agitation building up in the afternoon.

"Finish late?"

Arakita looked to his right to see Kinjou partially dry, _wet_ under those trailing droplets, and wrapped in white towels both round his broad shoulders, and waist... Though he knew it wasn't really a question Arakita still answered, "Yeah." Arakita frowned at the towel in his hand. "Sorry for coming in late too." He looked up to see Kinjou opening his locker a few steps from his, drier in the space of a few seconds.

Kinjou slid the towel from his shoulders, "It's alright."

"Next time, I'll pull you up that damn hill."

Kinjou smiled, though Arakita had only just caught it as looked away before Kinjou was pulling on his slacks. "Well, that does sound promising. I heard from Masashi you went round that course a fair few times."

Arakita groaned, "I had to. My times were awful today." Reflection of his troubling rides round the intense course surely had kept a sour persistence. He grabbed his t-shirt to pull it over his head, deciding he would rather shower at his student flat after a detour cycle on the way home.

"Hm, any improvement on your laps?" Kinjou asked.

"Suppose so." Arakita frowned. He truly had done his best to improve his times for the evaluation. "I can't remember but the first ones were not so great and I'm pretty sure Masashi got bored recording my times."

Kinjou chuckled at the thought of Arakita demanding the manager to time him on yet another lap. Slipping on his green top, Kinjou suggested Arakita probably was too focused on something else. That usually explained when Masashi had enough sympathy to time someone again and again; even though the university team had enough equipment to be done automatically, instead.

"I had two hours of with my peer tutor," Arakita sighed.

"I'm guessing you didn't like them." Kinjou put on his glasses checking he had seen the deep frown on Arakita's brows.

"He's shit." Arakita said curtly. He cared not for the judgemental raise of the brows from his friend instead asking if he knew the second year. "Do you know a Watabe Satoru? He's in the year above."

Kinjou looked down rolling his towel on his propped leg, though he had done fine rolling them without doing so before. "I met him briefly," He answered looking up again with the rolled up cotton.

"Ugh, he's alright with applied maths because I'm decent at that module but–" Arakita gritted his teeth before speaking again, "I asked him one question from that physics lecture we had but I have no idea what he was on about."

"Last week's lecture or yesterday?" Kinjou asked.

At the thought of the scrawls and awful attempts at an explanation, Arakita remembered the crumbled scrap of paper at the bottom of his bag. He grabbed his bag digging out the scrap paper. Kinjou watched as his friend almost was sucked in itself. "Kinjou, do you know what the heck this is?" Arakita pulled the crumpled paper filled with Watabe's scrawls.

Kinjou stared at the scrap paper shoved in his face. Looking at the scrawls confused Kinjou. He adjusted his glasses in fear his eyesight was the problem with the scrawls of notes. "I have no idea. What was he trying to explain?"

"Circuits. Well not in the basic sense." Arakita frowned, his head throbbing at the explanations he had been given the day before. Not wanting to look at the scrap of paper already burned into his mind, Arakita wafted his hands hoping Kinjou would understand. "Ya know, the stuff from the lecture."

Kinjou took the paper boring his eyes on the page to recognise the diagram. "Oh, I think I know what he is trying to explain. These are second year notations."

"And you know second year stuff?" Arakita raised thin eyebrows. Certainly Kinjou had a good work ethic (both in academics and cycling) but knowing the advanced was pushing the boundaries altogether, for a first year at least. _When would he have the time to learn those notations?_

Kinjou chuckled, "Of course not. When I was looking over next year's work I noticed they change a lot of the notations to what we're used to. They don't look complicated but I think it will take the lectures next year to understand them."

"Great. Now I've got a tutor who is too smart he can't explain for shit. I told him he wasn't explaining it right."

Kinjou pulled a notebook from his bag and fished a pen before he seated himself on the bench. Copying the circuit onto a blank page, Kinjou added his additional scribbles only referencing Watabe's notations not copying them.

Once finished Kinjou turned the pad for Arakita to see the diagram, "How's this?" Taking the proffered pad, Arakita studied the annotations Kinjou had made. Kinjou's were legible and, not to the first year's surprise, comprehensive. The frown that had been angling thin brows for the afternoon loosened into relief.

"Thanks Kinjou!" Arakita grinned bearing his teeth though he did not look at his peer to show it. "Wait, Kinjou, since Watabe didn't get onto the second half of our lecture would you mind looking at something else?"

"Sure." Kinjou shrugged permitting Arakita to root through his bag and pull out the unorganised notes from the physics lecture.

"Oi!" The two boys huddled over the notes jumped at the raised voice. Turning to face who had called their attention they saw the captain standing akimbo. At the sternness in his face the two first years shot up standing attentive to Kouichi's glare. "Everyone's left and you're both changed so I suggest you head home or to your bikes or dinner or whatever you boys do after training."

"Yes, Captain." Both Arakita and Kinjou gave a short bow: Arakita's slouched and curved with a lax posture whilst Kinjou was firm and respectful. They slung their bags of their shoulders, locking their lockers before giving an apologetic bow to their captain and left the changing room.

Once a few steps away from the changing rooms, Arakita apologised. "Woops, now the captain's on your back too."

"I'm pretty sure he's on everyone's with the evaluations." Kinjou said. His shoulders were relaxed despite their stiffness inside the changing rooms. "I can look at those equations you were showing me, if you want to."

Arakita adjusted his bag on his shoulders pulling out the double-sided sheet he had creased in his haste of leaving the captain. He gave the sheet to his Kinjou's accepting hand and said "Thanks, I know if I ask Watabe he'll give me some complicated explanation in addition to those." Whilst they walked towards the bike racks for Arakita's bike, Kinjou studied the notes.

Just as they stopped by Arakita's Bianchi, Kinjou pulled a pencil adding quick notes alongside Arakita's messy scrawls. As he did so he explained the complicated equations in the basic manner of form for Arakita to place the numbers with the forces of the circuits, instead of meshing the logic of forces together.

"Thank fuck you're smart, Kinjou." Arakita heaved a sigh of relief as he stared at their notes.

"You are too," Kinjou said matter-of-factly. "You can just be lazy. Arakita, your notes are good but if you shortened your notations in lectures you could fit more explanations on the page."

Arakita rolled his eyes, "I know that _genius_." He spoke with a slight wanting of taking back his earlier compliment at the notes he shoved into his bag. "I did that at Hakone but the professor babble on and I can't pick out everything they're saying all the time. It's not like we have books in lectures like in high school."

"We still have the recommended reading afterwards." Kinjou offered.

Arakita fished out the keys for his bike lock and shrugged, "That does so-so. I hate seminars."

Kinjou nodded, "I'll agree with you on that one."

Arakita laughed at the thought of annoyed Kinjou stuck in one of the small rooms with peers he did not talk to so much forced to converse his ideas. The image did not seem to sit well, Kinjou would always seem to be able to speak to anyone. After all, Kinjou had been far too comfortable to greet him upon their first day of joining the university team. "I somehow see you getting along with others in a seminar though."

"Getting along doesn't mean I am particularly fond of the seminars." Kinjou said not letting anything show in his eyes but a small smirk tugging at the corner.

Arakita hummed unlocking his bike from the racks. "Now thinking, I know that these one-to-one tutoring sessions are looking to be worse than seminars. I have another one tomorrow a couple hours after our maths lecture." Arakita pulled his bike from the racks, huffing his displeasure.

"It will be fine. I'm sure." Kinjou offered baseless optimism.

Arakita rolled his eyes, "Want to bet on that?"

"I'm not a gambling man."

"Maybe not but you sure do like taking risks."

* * *

Wednesday rolled by and as Watabe drawled a lengthy explanation the first year had definitely _not_ asked for, Arakita could only think he should have forced Kinjou to uphold the bet. At least if the jovial bet had been made Arakita would have gained something besides a headache.

Thankfully for Arakita, Watabe was competent with the engineering lectures; the only downfall was the irrelevant explanations that only expressed Watabe's intelligence than the course itself. Arakita noted the cockiness but let it slide since he could excuse the time he spent talking about the professor's theories to let the notes he had written down sink in. At the beginning of the session, Arakita had called out Watabe's use of advanced notations and whilst the second year brushed it off by saying he thought Arakita had the capacity to grasp it, Arakita made sure he did not use the notations again.

Fortunately, the hour ended with no hair ripping and Arakita could storm out of the library without slamming the door. Despite Arakita's restraint annoyed ticks tapped at his headache for attention during his way to his 'Introduction to Engineering' lecture that should follow on from the session he had with the second year.

However, just as Arakita had relaxed slightly that his peer tutor had taken on his complaints at the use of second year notations and his competence with the engineering lectures, Friday found Arakita gritting his teeth at how hard mathematics seemed to be when it came out of Watabe's cursed mouth. A subject Arakita had no qualms before. Applied mathematics hadn't been so hard and Arakita remembered breezing through those sheets with ease but somehow it seemed as if Arakita's guess of character was solidifying in Watabe's inability to explain the graphs and formulas. More questions were left unanswered than had been answered.

* * *

On the western edge of campus two first years, post-training, were staring at the dawdling clouds and watching the few students scattering to and from clubs and society meetings. Yonan campus left a serene place when the students were not rushing for lectures. Just as those students, the first years had their bikes propped by the wall in a would-be calm if not for the irritation plastering the black-haired boy's face.

"It's only the first week, Arakita." Kinjou passed a bottle of bepsi to a resigned Arakita.

Snatching the bottle with a quick thanks Arakita gossiped his annoyance, "I've spent four hours with him and I don't think he's helping! He's a fucking chore. God, I'm gonna have to email my supervisor and tell her he's shit. The only good thing he did was the applied maths and I think that was just to make a good impression since he screwed up actual maths! How does that fucking work?" After, guzzling the fizzy drink Arakita laid back on the wall.

"Are you sure he really that bad or are you just finding areas since you aren't keen on him?" Kinjou frowned drinking his own

"Well the fact you're into chemistry but helped me on my physics tells you something." Arakita groaned.

Kinjou hummed in half-agreement, "I suppose."

"See." Arakita gestured with his arm as he could not see his friend's face. "I'm just gonna email Professor Saito and get this PT scheme off my back and hope I can do that exam by myself."

"I can help with your physics and maths modules." Kinjou offered. It was not like Arakita would always need the help but his friend could be too lazy to work out what he needed – a laziness left in his academia due to its absence in his cycling.

Arakita sat up on the wall facing Kinjou. His offer tracing the fuzzy complications of parts of the lectures although the majority of the lectures had made sense. The understanding he was unsure was just out of spite as he could not rely on any peer tutor of his. That fuzz sparked want to listen to an intelligible explanation. "Shit. Kinjou, can I check the stuff from this week with you? I got most of it but some parts were off." Arakita asked but before Kinjou could accept Arakita spoke up, "Wait, could we do it like a proper study session?"

"That's fine by me." Kinjou nodded with a small smile and a hint of one in green eyes. "After practice this weekend if you like but wasn't it you who said they didn't want to be in my… constant presence."

"Don't get so cocky, Kinjou." Arakita scowled though he meant nothing of a threat towards his friend.

Kinjou's chuckle echoed through Arakita vibrating and mixing the bubbles from his fizzy bepsi. For the first time that week, Arakita did not feel the ticks nor the headaches deriving from an arrogant second year. Instead, he felt the fizzing in his stomach and the supressed smile on his thin lips.


End file.
